It is sent 7 to 10 days after the initial mail packet. The tickler serves as a thank you and a reminder note. This packet is sent to all sampled mothers 3 to 7 days after the preletter. This letter introduces PRAMS to the mother and informs her that a questionnaire will soon arrive. Here is the sequence of contacts for PRAMS surveillance: 2 A key aspect of his approach is to make numerous and varied contacts with sampled mothers. The principles and practices of mail/telephone survey methodology used by CDC are based primarily on the research of Don Dillman. PRAMS combines two modes of data collection a survey conducted by mailed questionnaire with multiple follow-up attempts, and a survey by telephone. 1 Each site follows the protocol, but also has the opportunity to customize some portions of it to tailor the procedures to the needs of the jurisdiction. The standardized data collection methodology is prescribed in the CDC Model Surveillance Protocol. This standardized approach allows for comparisons among sites and for optimal use of the data for single-jurisdiction or multi-jurisdiction analysis.
One strength of the PRAMS surveillance system is the standardized data collection methodology.